The Nebraska State Law requires school physical exams before entering kindergarten and seventh grade. These exams must be conducted no more than 6 months before school starts in the fall, which means parents can beat the rush by setting up school physical appointments in the spring for the following school year.
- Kindergarten physicals may be scheduled on or after March 1st of the spring prior to starting kindergarten. We encourage parents to do these visits in March, April, or May, if possible.
- 7th grade physicals may also be scheduled on or after March 1st of the spring prior to starting 7th grade; BUT if a child plans to participate in a school sport, the visit must be done on or after May 1st in order to also serve as sports physical clearance.
- School sports physicals (for children entering 7th through 12th grade) may be scheduled on or after May 1st of the spring prior to school year the physical is needed for. If your child's sport is in the winter or spring, you may find it more convenient to wait until the fall/winter to bring them in for their sports physical.
Boys Town Pediatrics recommends that your child receive annual health maintenance checkups, even though it is not required by your school. A good way to remember your child's checkup is to schedule this around your child's birthday. These checkups are a great time to talk with your pediatrician about any questions or concerns regarding your child's health, development or growth.
What to Expect at Back to School Physicals
Kindergarten & Seventh Grade Physicals
Whenever possible, a school and/or sports physical will be your child's annual health care maintenance visit. You can expect the following comprehensive components at either type of visit.
- Review immunization record
- Check height, weight and body mass index
- Perform a full developmental assessment
- Screen your child's vision and hearing
- Perform a thorough physical exam
- Discuss safety issues
- Provide anticipatory guidance regarding nutrition, sleep and behavior
In addition to the above, annual well visits (including sports physicals) for adolescents include a one-on-one consultation with a physician about hygiene, relationships, social and school activities, and any questions the child may have about his/her physical or mental health.
Hemoglobin levels and urine tests are no longer routine checks in either of the standard physicals and will only be collected if indicated.
What to Expect at Sports Physicals
If your child is planning on participating in a school or organized sporting activity, he or she will need an annual sports physical. Check with your child's school or organization as these physicals may be required before tryouts.
- Check his height and weight
- Perform a full developmental assessment
- Perform a thorough physical exam
- Discuss safety issues
- Provide anticipatory guidance regarding nutrition, sleep and behavior
While your middle/high school may provide a form that can be used for the sports physical, our providers will actually generate and print a form out right from your child's visit using our electronic health record. You do not need to bring the school form along.
If your child happens to be a college athlete doing a sports physical, bringing in that paperwork may be helpful as they may require labs/tests not included in Nebraska/Iowa school requirements, which our systems uses to generate a form.
Appointments for school and sports physicals have a tendency to fill up fast so give your pediatrician a call well in advance and please allow a full hour for the examination.
